CARMEL − Night had fallen and it was long past the bedtimes of "the littles," as the youngest two McGinley children are affectionately referred to in their Carmel home where love mixes with chaos as often happens with families of seven.

But the littles, 6-year-old LeLe and 8-year-old D, were still up on this late summer night, as well as their older siblings Cora, 12, Riley, 15, and Brogan, 17, all sitting in the backyard where the fire was lit, the marshmallows for s'mores were roasting, and the outdoor screen was tuned into the U.S. Olympic Trials in track and field.

Bedtimes had been thrown to the wayside. The family had someone very special they wanted to watch.

Their nanny, Allie Wilson, who is the kind of loving, fun, hands-on caretaker who goes on late-night runs to McDonald's, joins right in with them at the trampoline park Sky Zone, surprises them with their favorite lip gloss from Sephora and takes them to pet stores just to sneak a few minutes of snuggles with the puppies and rabbits.

There was probably no family rooting harder for Wilson that June night than the McGinley family.

So, when Wilson finished second in the 800 meters in what seemed like a flash (it was actually less than 2 minutes, 1:58.32), securing her a spot to compete in the Paris Olympics, the McGinley family erupted.

Olympic news: She was a nanny living in Broad Ripple. Now, Allie Wilson is an Olympian.

"There was a lot of cheering," said Paige McGinley, the mother of five. "We're pretty sure we woke up the neighbors."

Riley, who had been recording the family's reaction to Wilson's finish, sent the video to her. "And I remember thinking like, 'It's so cool that I even have her number to send her the video,'" she said.

The next day at soccer practice, she told her teammates, "'My nanny's going to the Olympics.' And everyone's just like, 'What the heck?'"

Cora texted her friend, who had been at a sleepover with Wilson not long before and got to go on one of those late night runs to McDonalds.

"She was like, 'That's so crazy. Now, I know an Olympic person, too,'" Cora said. "And also, I was thinking, 'I have a famous person's number in my phone,' and I was like, 'That's crazy.'"

Not long after Wilson qualified for Paris, LeLe and D were at their summer sports camp boasting to the counselors about how their nanny had made it to the Olympics. Much to D's dismay, no one believed him, not until he was persistent, and they started Googling and saw Wilson's story.

"They believed me then," he said.

And the story of his nanny making it to the Olympics soon went kind of viral.

A perfect fit for the family

Wilson is a former high school soccer player who ran for Monmouth University in New Jersey and was coached by Andrew Begley and Amy Yoder Begley at the Atlanta Track Club. When Amy, an Indiana Olympian at 10,000 meters, moved to Indianapolis to become USA Track & Field’s associate director of long-distance programs, Wilson followed.

She found a home in Broad Ripple and started working as a nanny to support herself as she trained and sought sponsors.

Meanwhile in January, after losing their nanny who moved to Los Angeles to work for Magic Johnson, the McGinleys needed help. Paige started searching on Care.com.

"I saw Allie's profile and, obviously, she's adorable," said Paige. "And then it said she was a professional runner, which piqued my interest. We were kind of a family of athletes."

Not just kind of. They are all athletes.

LeLe plays soccer, does gymnastics and has been rooting on Simone Biles almost as much as Wilson. She is also lightning fast and would like to do track when she gets older. "So, we could have another Allie on our hands," Paige said.

D does every sport he can get his parents to sign him up for, football, basketball, wrestling and soccer. Cora plays lacrosse, kickball and sings in the show choir. Riley plays soccer and, in middle school, ran track and played basketball. Brogan plays club and high school soccer and went to the state finals with Cathedral last year.

Paige and her husband, Patrick, who is CEO of a medical company, were so sure that Wilson would be the perfect fit for the family that Paige crafted a personal e-mail to tell Wilson why. A few hours later, Wilson responded and not long after, the McGinleys had found their new nanny.

Paige said she considers Wilson more than a nanny. She is a part of the family. She was there to care for the two younger children, who the family adopted in 2023, which is why they needed Wilson in the first place. To the older children, she is a big sister, friend and mentor.

No matter what the title is, the family has fallen in love with Wilson. And the feeling is mutual.

'I believe in her so much'

The McGinleys came into Wilson's life at the perfect time and were a comfort to her after she landed in a city and state that she was completely unfamiliar with.

"After moving to a brand-new city and flipping my entire world upside down," Wilson said, "going over to the McGinley household felt like my home away from home."

Wilson is from a big family and was quite familiar with the "big family lifestyle," lots of activities and places to be at all times.

"We always worked well to figure out all of the moving pieces. The kids were so fun and a great distraction for me to take my mind off of running," she said. "Paige and Patrick were extremely flexible with my crazy schedule and always made it known that my running came first, and that is something I will always remember and appreciate about them."

Before every big race, each of the five McGinley kids writes a personal note to Wilson. She has those notes with her in Paris ready to open before she competes Friday in the time trials. LeLe's note is a picture of a pack of runners.

While Wilson has only been part of the McGinley family for a few short months, she has made a major impact on them, said Paige.

Cora was recently asked who she most wanted to be like in life. She listed three women -- her grandmother, her mom and Wilson. She chose Wilson because "she's nice, she works hard and she's humble."

"I sent a little text to Allie to tell her that and said, 'I just want to let you know what you're doing on the track is great,'" Paige said. But what she has done off the track for the McGinley family will never be forgotten.

Riley said some of her favorite times with Wilson were the car rides to and from practices where Wilson gave her advice and talked about her own high school soccer career. She was always interested in hearing about the drills the team did and how Riley felt she was doing.

Her track endeavors have taken Wilson away from nannying for the McGinleys, but Patrick and Paige will be in Paris to watch Wilson compete. The kids will stay back home. They have their own sports to play, but they will definitely be watching again.

"I want to be just like her," D said, "except win it and be the fastest of all time."

"I want to be the fastest in the world," said LeLe.

"I think it will be surreal to just see her on the screen at the Olympics racing," said Riley. "I believe in her so much."

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Meet the Carmel family of 7 whose nanny is competing in Paris Olympics